Cigarettes are conventionally packaged in a printed opaque pack. The printed pack is conventionally neatly wrapped and sealed within a transparent polypropylene film overwrap. The film overwrap conventionally includes a tear strip for ready removal of the overwrap.
Recently, it has become desirable to provide a coupon or other type of advertising literature with individual cigarette packs. Indeed, a law has been passed in Canada which will require a literature insert on health issues to be provided to consumers with every pack of cigarettes.
In the past, printed material has been affixed to the outside of the overwrap with a pressure sensitive adhesive. However, this has proven to be disadvantageous because the printed material often becomes removed or separated prior to sale to a consumer. In particular, rebate coupons have been removed and cashed prior to sale.
Another known technique is to place the printed material directly on the printed pack and then subsequently wrap the transparent overwrap over both the pack and the printed material. However, this method has proven to be disadvantageously slow because it requires the use of pick-and-place equipment which cannot keep pace with industry objectives. Current machinery can seal cigarette packages with overwrap (but without a separate printed material insert) at a rate of about 360 packs per minute. It is expected that, within two years, packaging equipment will be able to efficiently produce 700 packs per minute. However, presently available pick-and-place equipment can produce sealed packs of cigarettes with inserts at a rate no faster than about 260 packs per minute.